Laucki Chana Dal (Bottle Gourd, Ghiya, Doodhi)

Laucki Chana Dal is is a healthful, wholesome lentil and vegetable main dish. Having a low glycemic index, it is especially good for diabetics.

Course
Main Course

Cuisine
Indian

Prep Time5minutes

Cook Time20minutes

Total Time25minutes

Servings3people

Ingredients

1mediumbottle gourd (laucki, ghiya, doodhi)

1/2cupyellow split gram (chana dal)

2tbspoil

1/2tspcumin seeds(jeera)

1/8tspasafetida(hing)

2whole red chilies

1tspginger shredded(adrak)

1/4tspturmeric(haldi)

1/2tspchili powder, adjust to taste

1tspsalt

1/2tspgaram masala

1tspmango powder(amchoor)

2tbspcilantro finely chopped(hara dhania)

1cupwater used as needed

Method

Wash and soak chana dal for one hour or more.

Peel and wash laucki (bottle gourd). Cut into half-inch cubes.

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if the seed cracks right away, the oil is ready. Add the cumin seeds. When seeds start to crack, add the asafetida and whole red chilies. Stir for a few seconds. Add ginger, turmeric, and chili powder and stir for a few seconds.

Add the chana dal, bottle gourd, salt, and one cup of water (adjust as needed to desired gravy thickness; bottle guard varies in moisture content).

Cook the chana dal until soft. About fifteen minutes. Turn off the heat and add the mango powder, garam masala, and cilantro. Stir and cover the pan for a few minutes before serving.

Was looking for a recipe to use up the lauki lying in my fridge. Glad I found this recipe. At first was quite apprehensive how it would turn out to be. But the outcome was just amazing. My husband loved it too. Thank you.

Madame Manjula ji !
As an amature cook I love to cook for my family members,if also I m a doctor in profession. From the very begining I m watching your recipes.I must say u r simply GREAT.May god bless u a healthy life to teach us colorful cooking. Thank u for all.

Manjula,
You’re the greatest Indian cooking teacher! I love chana dal and I soak the dried beans in a brine (1tsp to 1 quart water) overnight and I like the texture it gives.
I always use hing now that I saw it on your Youtubes.

Manjulaji, I am used to making Southern Indian food. But I wanted to learn the Northern Indian cooking and I have prepared using recipes from other sources. It has been okay but not great. I am so happy that I found you. I am making this for dinner tonight.
Vani

I loved this, it was the best dal I’ve ever made! In case anybody is wondering, it works fine without a pressure cooker. I used an ordinary frying pan and it was about 10-15 minutes before the chana dal was soft. I also left the skin on the bottle gourd and it was lovely.

My family and I love this recipe! I am so glad you are doing videos. It gives me something to look forward to. You new recipes! Everyone I have tried is so delicious and my family loves them. Thanks so much. You are appreciated!!

This was great. I like it spicy so I added more chili powder and chilies. I could find thae gourd so I used green squash.

The one thing I couldn’t do – get the dal tender (even after soaking for an hour) before the squash gets too soft. The second time I made it I added the squash about half way through the cooking process.

All I can say is Manjula rocks. The recipes are simple, quick, and fantastic!

Recent Posts

Testimonials

Namaste Manjula, Thank you for sharing so much goodness with us. I love your videos. Tomorrow morning I will be making "White Girl Breakfast Aloo Naan"...I will serve with sour cream & salsa for dipping. Your Aloo Naan is so wonderful, I hope mine turns out well. Thank you...-Carmen B.